Known for his smooth, efficient running style and his quiet demeanor, Smith was one of the finest 100m and 200m competitors in history. On July 3, 1983, he set the 100m world record of 9.93 seconds, bettering the previous record set by Jim Hines that stood for almost 15 years. Later that summer, at the inaugural World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, Smith won gold medals in the 200 meters and the 4x100m relay, in addition to the silver medal in the 100 meters. At the 1987 World Outdoors in Rome, Smith successfully defended his world 200m title. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he won the gold medal in the 4x100m relay, teaming up with Sam Graddy, Ron Brown and Carl Lewis in setting the then world record of 37.83 seconds. Also in Olympic competition, Smith won the 100m bronze medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea. The 1982 USA Outdoor 200m champ, Smith was world-ranked 10 times at 100m, and world-ranked seven times at 200 meters (#1 in 1983) by Track & Field News.